Wednesday, May 17, 2017

3D—WITHOUT THE FUNNY GLASSES

BY E.E. KennedyFiction
writers are artists who work in the medium of words, creating worlds out of
thin air. In our art, however, we don’t have the three-dimensional media of
clay or marble to work with, only words. We create pictures, but they are
mental pictures, to be assembled in the reader’s head. This collaboration is
special and must be treated with respect. And, when done properly, this
partnership with the reading audience will result in a story that can seem more
real and three-dimensional than any film or statue. Putting the philosophy book
aside, let me give some suggestions of how we can make our characters seem to
step off the page.

Let’s use a few items from the classic news reporter’s
checklist to guide us:

WHERE:
Make your setting realistic. Whether it’s the town you grew up in or the planet
Zarzar, give your location authenticity and detail. Tell us about the gray,
late winter snow that always piles up on the big-city curb or the dandelions
that dance in the wind on your character’s lawn. Give us consistent
descriptions that we can recognize and relate to. (By the way, in science
fiction, it’s every bit as important to establish an environment with consistent
rules of its own. Maybe the sky is green when a storm approaches, or the
occupants of the planet only eat a kind of fungus. But keep in mind, no matter
where you set your story, your audience must be understand the location and the
story on human terms. Remember, there aren’t that many Zarzarians buying books
these days!)

WHAT:
Every story should have a kind of conflict. It can be large or small, but the
reading adventure should contain an element of danger or frustration. It can be
as large as the potential loss of a kingdom—as in Shakespeare’s Richard III--or
as small as having to go to school in a beet-stained dress (from a favorite
children’s novel of mine, Ellen Tibbets by Beverly Cleary). Determine what is
important to your characters and give them some problems in attaining it.
Decide what they’re afraid of and put that in their path. How the character
comes through difficulties, whether large or small, is the reason the reader
stays with a book to the end.

WHEN:
Establish your time frame and be challenged to stay there. If you’re writing
about the Nineteenth Century, remember that in society, rules for behavior were
far more structured then. If it’s about the 1980’s, it’ll be a whole different
story. Make your characters’ actions, the clothes they wear, even the words
they speak consistent with the time frame. I once began reading a mystery set
in Britain during WWII. Intriguing, right? But I put it down immediately upon
reading this exchange: “No way!”

“Way!”

London
during the Blitz was a little before my time, but even I know that this
expression didn’t appear until at least two generations later! Research is fun.
Comb newspapers from the era you choose. Interview people who might remember
how things were. The encyclopedia (primarily online now) is your friend. If you
get something wrong, believe me, it won’t go unnoticed!

WHO:
I’ve saved the most important for last: the people you write about. Everything
you have your character do, say and/or feel tells your reader who they are. The
task here is to make them three-dimensional, that is, realistic.

How
does your protagonist speak? Is he formal, using few if any contractions like some
characters Mary Higgins Clark’s thrillers? Or is he casual and even profane,
like Holden Caulfield in Catcher
in the Rye? How
does he dress? Impeccably, like James Bond, or rumpled, like Columbo? How
can you make your characters as appealing as possible to your readers?

My
cozy mystery heroine, Amelia, is the first to admit that she’s a terrible cook.
Her bacon is half-raw, her scrambled eggs rubbery, and don’t even ask about her
coffee! She barely tolerates the cat she’s inherited. And what’s more, she
can’t swim. It’s a running joke among her friends which she finds occasionally
irritating. Even though she’s a Christian, she stumbles sometimes, as in Irregardless of Murder, when she tells
several white lies to deflect gossip about her and newspaper editor Gil
Dickensen. In the same book, she’s even a little jealous of Sally, a former
high school classmate.

And
yet, Amelia is the hero of the story. It was important to write her that way.
She’s a smart, well-educated woman who cares deeply about people, but she would
be a cardboard cutout without these faults. It’s this kind of imperfection that
not only makes a character realistic, but funny and, I hope, lovable.

As
an interesting exercise, think about your favorite books, movies or TV shows
and your favorite characters in them and see if you can put your finger on what
makes them appealing to you. In The
Closer, keen-eyed police detective Brenda is overly emotional and a sugar
addict. In Downton Abbey, Lord Robert
is snobby and stubborn, but we love him, because he genuinely loves his family.

It’s
important for the reader/audience to identify and care about the characters.
Reading a book should be a joint experience involving both the reader and the
characters. So think: what makes your favorite book three-dimensional?

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Characters who are flawed but willing to improve; they are capable of intense love and they often love the wrong things; people who deserve forgiveness and offer that same gift to others!Thanks for s great post!Conniecps1950atgmaildotcom